Who are you, really? That is the question at the heart of Lucy Hannah Ryan’s short story collection You Make Yourself Another, a visceral, tender, and elusive meditation on transformation in its many guises. Named for an insult hurled at Hamlet’s Ophelia, You Make Yourself Another blurs genre and gender lines to illuminate a state of sharp, queer flux. From a girl whose illness has her slipping between the veil of life and death to a grieving model on the path of self-destruction, from the mystery behind a teenager’s disappearance to a woman’s journey through bodily autonomy via strange metamorphosis, this collection haunts and hollows in equal measure.

Releasing on 18/4/23, you can pre-order your copy from Half Mystic’s website today

Advanced praise for You Make Yourself Another:

“Evoking morbidity, lust, and tenderness, the bizarre stories in You Make Yourself Another are tactile and real—you feel each transformation on your own skin.” —Bessie Flores Zaldívar, author of Rain Revolutions and Libertad

“With prose that is at once poetic and biting, You Make Yourself Another is an enchanting, visceral exploration of identity, transformation, loss, escape, and queerness. These stories transcend genre and transport us into expansive and imaginative worlds where we can become who we are. This book is a beautiful howling, an unflinching act of rebellion, and a powerful exploration of what it means to inhabit a body. Every page is a surprise and a delight.” —Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself 

“A magical collection perfect for fans of Kelly Link and Carmen Maria Machado. You Make Yourself Another speaks of love, suffering, and transformation in seven stories so vivid and intimate you can expect each of them to swallow you whole.” —Kathryn Harlan, author of Fruiting Bodies, longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction